6 Incredible Star Forts

Star forts are incredible, relatively unappreciated structures that have recently become a fascination of mine - humungous constructions that only really become visually stunning when you look down on them from above. This type of fortification design was adopted in the early 16th century as people realised that simpler, often circular forts were pretty crap when it came to the job in hand: defense.

Many of them still stand today in varying sizes. Some are empty, some contain ruins. Some, as you’ll see below, contain entire villages.
So here are 6 of the best star forts on earth…

Palmanova, Italy



Palmanova is a town in northeastern Italy, close to the border with Slovenia.



Bourtange, The Netherlands


Bourtange is a star fort and village in the Westerwolde region of the Dutch province of Groningen. It is a part of the municipality of Vlagtwedde, and lies about 32 km northeast of Emmen.

Goryokaku, Japan



Goryokaku is a star fort in the city of Hakodate in southern Hokkaido, Japan. It was the main fortress of the short-lived Republic of Ezo.



Almeida, Portugal



Saint-Martin-De-Ré, France

Saint-Martin-de-Ré is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in western France.


Naarden, The Netherlands
Naarden is a municipality and a town in the Gooi region in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands